Right to information

The Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act) and Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act) came into effect from 1 July 2009, replacing the Freedom of Information legislation. While continuing to protect an individual’s privacy, the laws form part of the Government’s initiative to:

• increase public access to information
• encourage transparency by government agencies
• ensure information within the public interest is available to the community.

In fulfilling its statutory obligations, the Board has prepared two documents; a disclosure log detailing information requested and released through the RTI legislative process, and a publication scheme advising of any information routinely made available to the public.

Accessing information

There are 3 ways to access information from and about the Board:

1.  Determine if the information sought is already available

Some information is publicly available for download from the Board’s publication scheme, statement of commitment, and/or disclosure log which are available on the Queensland Law Society ('the Law Society') website. If any difficulties are experienced, please seek assistance from the Board by emailing admissions@qls.com.au

2.  If the information cannot be found, contact the Board

Before submitting an Right to Information (RTI) / Information Privacy (IP) application, it is recommended you contact the Board to ascertain if the required information can be released administratively. Subject to certain restrictions, a person can apply for administrative access to, or request amendment of, their own personal information.

Access

Unless provided by the RTI Act, IP Act, or other legislation, you are unable to access personal information which does not belong to you.  To obtain access to your own personal information, you should provide a written request to the Secretary to the Board including:

• your full name
• date of birth
• your signature
• your contact details
• a brief description of the personal information to which you are seeking access.

Written requests to access personal information must be signed and can be provided either by email, post, or in person. Emailed requests must include a scanned attachment containing your signature. Where possible, the Board will check your signature against our records. There is no fee associated with making a request.

The Board will only allow access to information where it is authorised to do so. In certain circumstances, the Board may require access to be given within a designated area of the Law Society.

Amend

You can request an amendment of your own personal information where the information held by the Board is inaccurate, incomplete, out-of-date, misleading, or has been omitted.

To amend your personal information, you should provide a written request or submit an IP Personal Information Amendment Application to the Secretary to the Board either by email, post, or in person. There is no fee associated with making a request.

3.  Submit an RTI Application

If you still cannot find the information or are unable to access the information (personal or otherwise) administratively, you can lodge an RTI or IP application by completing an RTI application form and submitting it by email, post or in person.  Application fees for an RTI application are payable under the Right to Information Regulation 2009 and an RTI Officer will contact you regarding payment to validate your application. Processing and accessing fees may also be payable. For IP applications, only an access fee is payable under the Information Privacy Regulation 2009.

The Board’s privacy statement of commitment provides details of personal information which the Board may hold and can be accessed under Related content below.

Information contained in the Board's publication scheme, disclosure log, statement of commitment, or available from the Queensland Law Society's website can be downloaded free of charge. If you wish to access any information or documents in hard copy, an administration fee will apply for photocopying (20c per page for a black and white photocopy on A4 size paper) plus postage and handling.